ASU's Sun Devil Club tapping into vast resources

This effort to raise funds for Arizona State has legs, players and a vision

That's the mission of a group of community activists who have joined forces to help Arizona State find the financial means to become a player on the college-sports landscape.

Skepticism is understandable. Since 1947, when a group of well-known community figures formed the Sun Angel Foundation, the fundraising arm of ASU athletics has undergone a variety of makeovers.

This one feels different. It has legs. It has players. It has vision.

It should have our attention.

"Athletics does not work without community support," said Gregg Tryhus, president of the Sun Devil Club's board of directors. "And if this community has an expectation of success, you have to participate to earn that success. That's why we're doing this. "

Tryhus, president and owner of Grayhawk Development, is a reluctant spokesman. He wants it to be about "we," as in community, and hopes both alumni and area residents embrace the cause. But it says something that this prominent Valley businessman, who didn't even attend ASU as an undergraduate (the Southern Methodist product did secure his MBA in Tempe), is committed to being part of the charge.

The Sun Devil Club's belief is strength in numbers. Its goal is to encourage not only ASU's large alumni base but a good chunk of the community to make a $10-a-month or $100-a-year donation that will help give Sun Devils teams a competitive advantage.

Although former Athletic Director Kevin White brought fundraising back under the supervision of the athletic department, the Sun Devil Club is no longer "in house." This will help prevent some of the confusion that comes with a multitude of money-seeking campaigns for the university's many factions. It also will allow the group to reach out to more volunteers for help.

The organization features a nine-member executive committee that includes Tryhus, Lisa Love, the vice president of university athletics, and Stephen Ponder, a senior associate athletic director at ASU and the executive director of the Sun Devil Club. A collection of 18 committees, led by well-known Valley residents such as restaurateur Don Carson, will focus on specific tasks such as membership, legacy and game-day improvement.

The club's vision is a kind of pyramid of outreach, where one group might inspire another, say a collection of sorority sisters from the 1970s, to joins forces and spread the $10-a-month, $100-a-year message.

"I think it's really relevant about the whole message that if you want to make a difference, get involved," Ponder said. "Be plugged in, in some way, just like they were in 1947."

The strength-in-numbers approach is a response to a difficult reality the athletic department has had to face: The corporate dollar in this town is a tough get when you're fighting for attention with four professional sports teams.

That's not happening in Columbus, where Ohio State had an athletic budget of $123 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year, according to U.S. Department of Education figures. ASU's was $57 million.

The Sun Devils' revenue was seventh among Pac-10 schools.

The athletic department is in need of a pick-me-up. The football team has not had a winning record the past three seasons, and the basketball team is coming off a 12-19 mark.

It's not simply about hiring a good coach anymore. A strong financial base translates to recruiting advantages, keeping assistant coaches around and better facilities.

To get there, the Sun Devil Club is taking an approach that is becoming more common around the country.

Ask less from more.

Think about this: Phoenix and its suburbs are home to 4.5 million people. ASU has an alumni base of approximately 300,000.

That's opportunity few athletic programs share.

It many ways, this is an exciting time for the Sun Devils. The leadership of Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott and revenue from the league's new TV deal will benefit ASU.

The football team is returning one of the more-experienced teams in the conference, and the men's basketball team has added for next season an exciting Valley product in Mesa High's Jahii Carson.

The Sun Devil Club - which has more than 5,100 members on sundevilclub.com - hopes to have 10,000 members by June and expects continued growth.

Will the approach work?

Hard to say. At the very least this group has vision, enhanced by its Rose Bowl-colored glasses.